


Budding Affections

by TheSwiftWind



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/F, First Dates, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 04:24:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17237372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSwiftWind/pseuds/TheSwiftWind
Summary: Reimi has had a crush on Koya for as long as she could remember, but the poor girl is too shy to ask her out. Her "big brother" Seirin notices this and tries his best to help her out. Can she overcome her insecurities and finally tell her best friend how she feels?





	1. Attempt #1

**Author's Note:**

> Reimi and Seirin belong to me  
> Koya belongs to @justinblackmon0 (Twitter)  
> All other Zoras mentioned belong to @unacctmango, @leslietries, @VideoDame2, and MajoraGirl#4639 (Discord)  
> Check them out, their work is amazing (and they're cool people in general)

“So we’ll need some topaz for Branik’s necklace and emerald for Aptulo’s. Oh, and we can’t forget about Shell. He’ll need some amethyst for his necklace. You got all that?”

Reimi sighed dreamily, not hearing a single word Koya had said about the necklaces or the Zoras they were for. She seemed to be all too content in looking at Koya’s eyes.

The taller Zora noticed the lack of an answer and called to her. “Reimi? Hello? Reimi?” Koya waved her hand in front the younger woman’s face and then tapped her cheek. “Reimi.”

The manatee snapped out of her daze and looked around frantically. “Huh? Uh, what? What did I miss?”

Koya laughed gently. “You looked like you were daydreaming, silly. You seriously didn’t hear what I said?”

Reimi blushed and nervously giggled. “Sorry about that.”

The taller Zora shook her head in amusement and pet Reimi’s head. “It’s okay, sweetie. Guess we have been working pretty hard on these necklaces. Probably best we take a break.”

“Yeah.” As they put away the jewels and materials they were going to use, Reimi couldn’t help but let her mind wander. “Hey, Koya? Remember the day we first met?”

“Mmhm. How could I forget? We bumped into each other… literally.”

The younger Zora giggled as she recalled that fateful day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reimi sighed sadly as she looked down at her wares, neatly packed into the small box she was carrying. They weren’t as slender and sleek as a professional jeweler’s; in fact, they were a bit crude and lumpy. Only a blind Bokoblin could possibly find them lovely enough to wear. She teared up as she finally closed the box and stood up. “Why do I even bother?” Reimi started to walk back in the direction of the forge, hoping to melt the contents of her box so no one else’s eyes had to witness them. 

Suddenly, she bumped into another body and fell back on her butt. “Oww…” When she opened her eyes, she gasped as she locked eyes with the most beautiful Zora she had ever seen. With splotches of black and orange littering her white scales and bright green eyes, it’s a wonder Reimi hadn’t noticed them before.

The new Zora finally spoke up in concern. “Sorry about that, missy. You okay?”

The manatee felt tears streaming her cheeks and desperately wiped them away. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into you! I-It’s my fault!” Not wanting to stick around, she tried scooping up the jewelry and trinkets she had dropped. She stopped when she felt a gentle hand on top of hers.

“Hey, take it easy, sweetie. You look like you had a rough day. Take a deep breath and then let it out slowly,” the pretty Zora advised.

Reimi did as she instructed and then again. But then her eyes widened in worry when the new Zora picked up one of her rough pieces of jewelry.

“Did you make these?”

She wanted so desperately to say ‘no’ to save herself from embarrassment, but for some reason, she squeaked out a timid ‘yes’.

To her surprise, the lovely Zora smiled sweetly. “So you’re a jeweler too. These aren’t too bad, but I’m sure we can make them even better. What’s your name, dearie?”

“R-Reimi…” She could feel the scales on her face heat up.

“Reimi… that’s a cute name. I’m Koya. I’m surprised we haven’t met before, considering we both work with jewelry.” She held out her hand to the chubby Zora with a warm smile. “Come with me. I’ll show you some tricks I know.”

Reimi shyly took the koi Zora’s hand and returned the grin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As her thoughts returned to present day, the younger Zora sighed. “Goddess, that must have been like what? Twenty? Thirty years ago?”

“Twenty-five, but you were close. Either way, I’m glad I met you, Reimi. You’ve been a really great friend to me,” Koya remarked with a smile.

“Yeah…” If she was being really honest, the manatee had started to feel much more than that towards Koya. Sure, she had a bad habit of gaining a crush on anyone who was either attractive or nice to her, but her best friend had both of those traits. 

“Well, I’m gonna take a quick nap before we continue.” The koi Zora stood up and made her way to the sleeping pools.

Reimi gulped and without thinking, called out. “Koya!”

She turned around and looked to her. “Yeah?”

“Uh, um, I-I was wondering if… if… if we could…”

Koya tilted her head in curiosity. “Yes?”

Just gazing into her eyes was enough to turn Reimi’s legs into jelly. She wanted so badly to ask her out. “I was wondering… if we already got jewels for Topholi and Pho’s necklaces. We haven’t started on them.” 

“Oh! That’s alright, sweetie. I decided on rubies for her and citrine for Pho, so no worries. Is that all you wanted to ask?”

Reimi nodded quickly. “Yup, that’s it.” When Koya was out of sight, she let out a defeated sigh. “Real smooth, dummy. What made you think you could ask her?” 

She packed up the rest of her belongings and walked out of the forge, unaware of a dark blue bull shark Zora was watching her. “Soooo, little Reimi’s got a crush on Koya, huh?” He smirked devilishly as if hatching a plan. “Oh, this is gonna be fun~”


	2. Trying Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big Brother Seirin to the rescue! ... or so we hope. XD My big bullshark son tries to help Reimi win her best friend's heart with his method of flirting. Will it work? Here's hoping.

Reimi sighed heavily, still beating herself up for chickening out the other day. How in the world did every other Zora in the Domain make confessing their feelings look so easy? “Why is it so hard just to tell her I like her and that I wanna treat her to something nice?” 

“Because you’re a shy pudge muffin, that’s why,” a male voice answered from behind.

The manatee shrieked in surprise and practically jumped in her place upon hearing the voice. “Seirin?! Wh-wh-what the… what are you doing scaring me like that?!”

The bull shark laughed and patted her head. “It’s funny to see you get all jumpy. Anyways, I couldn’t help but overhear you had a particularly pesky problem… involving a certain gal pal?”

Reimi crossed her arms and pouted in a miffed manner. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Seirin grabbed her cheeks and squished them like a grandma fawning over her grandkids. “Awww, aren’t you just the cutest thing? Thinking you can keep something like this from your big brother.~”

She glared at him, not appreciating the teasing tone of his words. It was the last thing she needed at the moment. “We’re not even related, you big dope.”

“Oof, such biting language. You really must be in a pickle if you say mean things like that.”

“It’s the damn truth!” She pulled his hands off her cheeks and kept her scowl fixed on him.

Seirin had to keep from laughing since her look of anger was about as intimidating as a fussy puppy. “You know you can’t hide secrets from me, Rei. I know who you like.~”

Reimi rolled her eyes and huffed. “You’re imagining things. I don’t like anyone like that.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, maybe you’re right… Hey, is that Koya over there?”

Reimi gasped and peeked excitedly in the direction that Seirin was looking. “Where?” Realizing the Zora of her affections wasn’t even there and that she basically outed herself, she let out a simple ‘uh oh’.

Seirin smirked at this. “Aha, I knew it. You have a crush on Koya.”

“Yeah, so what? Not like I’ll be able to ask her out. I-I just get so nervous! I mean, I shouldn’t be because we’re friends and all, b-but I wanna be more than friends. But what if she says no? What if she laughs at me o-or she’s already got someone in her li-” Her rambling was cut off by the male Zora putting his hand over her mouth.

“Okay, okay. I got the concept, pint-size. If that’s all you’re concerned with, don’t worry. Big Brother Seirin is here to help!” He pumped his arm and smirked in a poor imitation of Prince Sidon’s signature pose. Even sweet little Reimi couldn’t muster up a compliment for it. “Alright, so I ain’t as charming as Mr. Smiles-a-Lot, but who cares? What matters is getting you that date with Miss Tricolor.”

Reimi reached for his tail and pulled him in close. In a rather ticked off tone, she corrected, “Her name is Koya and you will address her as such. Got it?”

“Heh heh heh, okay okay, no need to bite.” He got out of her grip and cleared his throat. “Now then, stand up straight and pay attention because we’re gonna turn you into a lean, mean dating machine!”

The small Zora had a bad feeling about this, but nodded in desperation for anything that would get her closer to being with Koya.

 

Koya hummed to herself as she put the jewels that were going to be in necklaces in neat little piles organized by color and size. She looked forward to making trinkets like these with her bestie and she was sure the little manatee felt the same. The koi Zora could always feel at ease with her around, especially with her deepest secrets.  
All of a sudden, as she was turning to grab a few of the jewels to inspect, she found herself somewhat trapped between a pillar and… Reimi’s arm? Honestly, one couldn’t say she was trapped given that Reimi was half the size of Koya, so it was pretty funny for anyone passing by to see. She raised a confused eye ridge as she saw her friend give what looked to be an attempt at a smooth gaze. “Uhhh, hi Reimi.”

The smaller Zora peered up and winked at her. “Hey, gorgeous. What’s up?”

Koya blushed and shifted her eyes to the sides, wondering if anyone else was seeing this. “Uhhh, nothing?”

Without missing a beat, Reimi asked with confidence, “You got a boyfriend?”

Seirin, who was watching her progress behind another pillar, gave her a thumbs up letting her know she was on the right track.

Koya blinked her eyes twice. Something had to be up because she knew for a fact Reimi knew she didn’t have a significant other in her life at the moment. “No? Reimi, why are you acting so weird?”

“Me? Weird? Pfft, girl, only thing that’s weird is your fine self not with anyone~”

Seirin’s face dropped into a horrified look of realization. Clearly his normal form of flirting wasn’t having the same effect on Koya. “Oh crap. Stop now while you can, Rei.”

“Did Seirin put you up to this? Are you feeling okay? You’re not sick, are you?” questioned the taller female, concerned for her friend’s choice in words.

The confident facade Reimi had been putting on started to fade as she got nervous. Why wasn’t this working? She thought it was really going to help her. “I, um, uh, w-well…”

Seirin groaned as he smacked his own crest in exasperation. “Goddess above, kid. Just tell her…”

Koya gently put her hand on Reimi’s cheek and gave her a worried expression. “Is something wrong? You can tell me.”

The smaller Zora then gulped and grabbed her friend’s hand with both of hers and blurted out, “Koya, will you go out with me?”

The air around them became so still and silent, one could hear a water droplet drip on the floor. The koi Zora stared at the manatee in awe of what she just asked. “Go out with you?”

Reimi’s face quickly turned red as she nodded, ready for any answer she would receive, though she hoped it would be a positive one. Her fears were soon dispelled when she caught Koya smiling.

“Sure. It’s a bit sudden, but yeah. I’d like to go out with you. Maybe tomorrow in the afternoon?”

It took her a short while, but Reimi found her voice. “Yeah! Meet me at the first waterfall that leads to Ploymus Mountain at around sunset.”

“Well then… it’s a date,” Koya mused with a wink. She walked off with a cheerful expression, prompting Seirin to leave his hiding spot from behind the pillar.

“Heh. Looks like you didn’t need my teachings. You handled it pretty well, Rei… Rei?” The male Zora glanced at his friend who now had a lovestruck grin on her face. “Hey, pudgy. Say something so I know you didn’t just die.”

All she could muster was a giddy “I have a date tomorrow…” before nearly falling back and having the bull shark catch her.

“Ahh, Reimi. You are something else. Now come on. Let’s get you ready for that date.”


	3. A Sweet Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reimi's finally got the date she's wanted with Koya. But when preparations don't go as planned, will she still find a way to fix it? Find out below!

The next day, Reimi was hard at work preparing some cooked Hearty Bass. She decided to surprise Koya with a picnic for the two of them, complete with dessert at the end. She couldn’t stop smiling as she looked forward to the date. Sure, her stomach was full of butterflies, but Reimi couldn’t help but embrace them.

 

Kodah noticed her cheery demeanor and commented, “Well, someone’s excited. What’s got you so eager?”

 

“Hm? Oh, hi Kodah! I don’t know if Seirin told you but… I’ve got a date with Koya!”

 

The older Zora chuckled at this. “Congratulations! I never thought I’d see the day little Reimi lands a date.”

 

The manatee giggled as she moved the bass around. “I know. I’m super nervous, but also just… oooh, I can’t even describe it!”

 

“I can tell. If you need any help with the food or just first date tips, don’t be afraid to ask me or Kayden.” Kodah left the kitchen after giving the younger Zora a hug.

 

Reimi smiled back and continued cooking the fish. In regular fashion though, she let her thoughts drift into what would happen later on. She could see it now: her gesturing Koya to a lovely picnic displayed on a soft, comfy blanket with blue nightshades strewn around them.

 

_ “Oh my gosh! You set all of this up by yourself?” _

 

_ “But of course, my dear. Only the best for a Zora of your immeasurable beauty.” _

 

_ “O-oh my, Reimi…” _

 

_ She took hold of Koya and despite their height difference, dipped her romantically. “I was such a fool to keep this to myself, but I love you, my darling Koya!” _

 

_ “Reimi… I love you too!” _

 

_ The smaller Zora leaned in to kiss Koya, finally living out her dream. _

 

_ “Reimi…”  _

 

“Reimi! The fish!” Kodah yelled.

 

The manatee snapped out of her daydream and her eyes widened to see the bass on fire. “Oh no!” She took the fish off the grill and extinguished the fire, coughing at all the smoke around the kitchen. When it cleared, she opened her eyes and frowned at the fish. They weren’t burned to a crisp, but they were certainly overcooked.

 

Kodah knew for a fact that the young Zora wasn’t the best cook, but her heart ached for her. “Oh sweetie. I’m so sorry. But it’s alright! We can grab some more and-”

 

“I don’t have time! It’s almost sunset!” Reimi’s eyes started to water as she looked at her ruined dinner. “What am I gonna do?”

 

“Hey, now.” The red Zora lifted her chin up gently and smiled. “It’s going to be okay. They’re not too burned so maybe we can just put a little flavoring on it to mask the burnt taste. And even if that doesn’t work, I’ve got something to help the date end smoothly.” Kodah searched the kitchen until she pulled out two small containers. One held a bundle of strawberries while the tinier one carried melted chocolate. “Master Link brought these the other day as a gift for me and my husband, but the way I see it, you’ll need the more.”

 

Reimi sniffled and nodded. “Thanks, Kodah…”

  
  


Moments later, Reimi waited nervously for Koya to arrive. The overcooked Hearty Bass had been flavored with lemon and the strawberries laid next to them along with the melted chocolate. Although it was silly to think, Reimi felt like the food was taunting her as if saying ‘Koya deserves better than this crap. Why didn’t you leave it to someone more qualified?’ Her mind then started to bring out an awful scenario of Koya tasting the fish and spitting it back out, yelling at her for having subjected her to such a disgusting meal.

 

_ “Ugh! Is this the best you could do?! If you put this much effort into making food, I can only imagine how bad you must be as a girlfriend!” _

 

_ With a nasty laugh, she left the manatee feeling smaller in stature and wishing she could just disappear. That laugh echoed in her head as it got louder and louder, causing her to finally let tears run down her cheeks in sorrow and embarrassment until… _

 

“Reimi? What’s wrong? You alright?”

 

The lavender-scaled Zora gasped and looked up to find Koya standing in front of the blanket. “K-Koya! Y-y-you made it…”

 

“Did… did you make the food yourself?” asked Koya with a slight head tilt.

 

Reimi’s heart fell straight down to her stomach as she gazed on to the burnt fish. “Y-y-yes… I wanted to… to make you something tasty, but…” Tears threatened to fall out again as she tried to finish her sentence. “I’m so sorry, Koya… I didn’t mean to burn our d-dinner…” She sniffled and turned away. “I just wanted to-” She felt a light finger pressed on her lips and a gentle shush from the taller Zora.

 

“At least let me try the food first, silly.” She picked up one of the fish and took a small bite. Her eyes perked up at the taste and Reimi held her breath in worry. Koya then smiled happily. “Mmmm! This is really good!”

 

“Wh-wha… you serious? B-but it’s overcooked!”

 

After gulping down her bite, Koya giggled. “Yeah, but it’s not terrible. The lemon mixes really well with the bass and the burnt bit add just a hint of smokiness. Least that’s what I taste. Try it.”

 

Reimi took the other piece and bit into the flesh. Her date was right! It was pretty tasty. “Wow… I oughta burn my food more often.” She laughed after that remark and Koya chuckled with her.

 

“Seriously though, this is very sweet of you to treat me to dinner. Maybe next time, we can make something together,” the taller Zora mused with a wink.

 

The manatee grinned and nodded. “I’d like that. Oh! Speaking of sweet, Kodah gave me these berries that we can dip in this.” She showed her the strawberries and melted chocolate. 

 

Koya’s eyes brightened with a slight gasp. “You got dessert too? Sweetie, you’re spoiling me!”

 

“Only the best for someone I love.” Reimi slapped a hand onto her own mouth, realizing what she just said. She glance at her date, hoping she didn’t hear that.

 

“Oh? Someone you love, hmm?”The koi Zora gave a curious smirk. “And how long has this been going on, dearie?”

 

The manatee blushed and gulping, knowing she couldn’t hide it anymore. “About… ten or so years now…”

 

Koya couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re a terrible little lady. Keeping secrets like this from your bestie. But lucky for you, these berries have saved you from my wrath, mwahaha.” She booped Reimi’s nose playfully.

 

Feeling more relaxed and a bit more confident, the younger Zora giggled and went along with it. “Oh thank you for sparing this poor Zora, fair maiden. Your kindness knows no bounds!”

 

The two of them snickered at their silly words and decided to go ahead and try out the strawberries, dipping them in chocolate and squealing at the tangy and sweet taste. At one moment, Reimi noticed a bit of the chocolate smeared on Koya’s cheek. “Uh, Koya. You got this on your, uh…” She pointed to the spot on her own face.

 

The koi Zora tried licking it off but she only succeeded in getting half of it off. “Did it get it?”

 

“Uh almost. Lemme help.” Reimi sat up and cupped her friend’s cheek, wiping the rest of the sweet with her thumb. Even though it was all gone, the manatee Zora found herself lost in Koya’s bright green eyes once again. 

 

Koya noticed this, but didn’t mind as she blushed. “What’s on your mind, Reimi?”

 

“Did I ever tell you how pretty your eyes are?”

 

“Mmmm, maybe once or twice, sweetie,” she recalled.

 

Reimi let out a tiny amused ‘heh’ and with a burst of confidence, leaned in and gave Koya a quick kiss on her lips. Upon pulling back, she became aware at what she just did and immediately started to blush. “I, uh, I don’t know what came over me.”

 

The koi chuckled and returned the gesture with a light kiss of her own, giggling at the younger Zora’s surprised expression. “Now we’re even, silly girl.”

 

Reimi couldn’t help but smile and wrapped her arms around her. “Mmm… I love you, Koya.”

 

“I love you too, Reimi.” Koya brought her in close and rested her head on the smaller Zora’s head. It might have taken the two a long time to express their true feelings to one another, but they were both more than happy to have finally taken that step into their blooming romance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this adorable fic! It was a birthday gift to @justinblackmon0 and I hope y'all enjoyed it!  
> Kudos, comments and shares are very much appreciated.   
> See you next fic!


End file.
